Safety jaw for safety bindings

ABSTRACT

1,026,988. Safety jaws for ski bindings. L. BERCHTOLD and A. SCHUSTER. May 13, 1964 [May 17, 1963], No. 19944/64. Heading A6D. A safety jaw for a ski bindings comprising a toe hold down member movable relatively to a base plate 5 about a pivot 4 against the action of a detent device 7-10, is characterized in that either the toe hold down member or the base plate has two relatively movable parts. In the embodiment of Fig. 1 the toe hold down member comprises two parts 1, 11 connected by a leaf spring 12. Thus limited movement laterally of a ski is permitted without the safety jaw being completely released. In the embodiment of Fig. 3 however the base plate 5 comprises two parts 18, 15 pivotally connected by a pivot pin 17. The part 15 is adapted to be fixed to a ski and the part 18 is movable relative thereto. The parts are constrained to return to their normal positions by springs 19. The toe hold down member may comprise two parts connected by a pivot pin, and having springs which tend to return the parts to their normal positions (Fig. 6, not shown), or alternatively the base plate may comprise two parts one of which is mounted on balls or rollers and which is returned to its normal position by coil springs. (Figs. 9 and 10 not shown).

' 1966 BERCHTOLD ETAL 3,

SAFETY JAW FOR SAFETY BINDINGS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed May 8, 1964 7 I/JW mm jnvenor's Hm r W wlw m N M In a c n Q7:

w r m 0W United States Patent 9 Claims. ci. zeta-11.35

In connection with safety jaws for safety ski bindings, which jaws comprise a detent device, which is disposed between two parts that are pivotally movable to each other, which detent device is unlocked in response to a predetermined, preferably adjustable torque to release said parts for pivotal movement, it has recently been required to provide for a cushioning. This means that the safety front jaw should be capable of yielding resiliently to a small extent in a lateral direction under the action of short, harmless, lateral shocks, such as occur often during skiing, and that the front jaw should thereafter return to its normal position. The safe control of the ski will not be adversely affected if such short-time, outward pivotal movements of the safety front jaw remain within an angle of about 10.

In a known cushioned safety front jaw, the pivoted member is formed with a bore, the axis of which is parallel to the surface of the ski and which accommodates a piston, which is displaceable against the force of a strong coil spring. The free end face of this piston bears on a suitable fiat of the pivot pin for the pivoted member, which pin is secured to the ski. This piston is urged back against the force of the coil spring during a pivotal movement. When the torsional force acting on the foot and on the pivoted jaw is discontinued, the spring tends to move the iston back into full engagement with the flat of the pivot pin so that the safety front jaw is automatically returned to its normal position. When such known front jaws are used, however, the foot is not released from the binding until the front jaw has been pivotally moved through an angle of about 30. On the other hand, as has been mentioned above, only a pivotal movement of about 10 is required for cushioning the harmless lateral shocks. This means that the foot will not be released immediately when the angle of pivotal movement corresponding to the harmless lateral shocks has been exceeded but the torsional stress 'must be maintained for a relatively long time until it results in the complete release of the foot. It has also been found that after a pivotal movement due to torsional stresses which are sutficient to move through the intermediary of the foot the safety front jaw through, e.g., 25, the restoring force of the above-mentioned coil spring acting on the springloaded piston is not sufficient in many cases to turn back the foot to its normal position against the action of the strong tension on the cable of the binding. In such case the safety binding will be the very cause of a fall because the action of the front jaw will maintain the foot in an oblique position relative to the longitudinal center line of the ski.

It is an object of the invention to provide a cushioned safety front jaw which avoids the above-mentioned disadvantages of the known jaw. In the safety jaw according to the invention, this is achieved in that in a jaw of the above-mentioned type, which differs by the detent device from the known jaws having a spring-loaded piston, which have also been described, at least one of the parts which are pivotally movable relative to each other is connected to the associated element of the detent device by a resilient articulated joint affording a limited freedom of movement. The interposition of the resilient articulated joint affording a limited freedom of movement ensures that short-time lateral shocks will result only in a movement of the articulated joint within the angle within which the joint is movable and which can be freely selected, whereas a positive, inelastic connection between the respective member of the safety jaw and the respective element of the detent device will be established when this angle has been exceeded so that the detent device will be unlocked upon a further relative pivotal movement of the two members of the safety jaw if the torsional force acting on the foot is sufiicient to exceed the releasing torque to which the detent device has been set. If this releasing torque is not reached, the resilient articulated joint will return that member of the safety jaw which is pivotally movable relative to the ski back to its normal position. The resilient articulated joint may be provided between a safety jaw member which is'nonpivotally connected to the ski and the associated element of the detent device or between a safety jaw member which is pivotally movable relative to the ski and the respective element of the detent device because the pivoted member of the safety jaw will be returned to its normal position in both cases whenever the detent device has not been unlocked. With the structure according to the invention, a holding of the foot in an oblique position relative to the ski and a time delay between the pivotal movement caused by the harmless lateral shocks and the pivotal movement causing a release is avoided because the detent device will be unlocked immediately after the resilient articulated joint has reached its limiting position.

In a development of the invention, the resilient articulated joint may be disposed outside the path for transmitting forces acting in the longitudinal direction of the ski. For instance, the pivoted member may be mounted on a pivot pin which is at right angles to the ski surface, and the front edge of the sole of the boot may bear under the force of the binding cable against the rear face of said pivoted member. In such an arrangement, the resilient articulated joint may be arranged in the front portion of the pivoted member, beyond the pivot pin. In this case the pressure exerted by the boot is transmitted by the rear portion of the pivoted member to the pivot pin, which is secured to the ski, so that the resilient articulated joint disposed beyond the pivot pin is not stressed by the forces which act in the longitudinal direction of the ski and might otherwise cause a deformation or fatigue of the resilient articulated joint.

When the safety (front jaw is pivotally mov able about a pin which is at right angles to the surface of the ski, it is a further feature of the invention to provide that element of the detent device which performs an outward pivotal movement together with the front jaw in' a member which is separate from the member which is pivoted to the pin, and this separate member may be mounted on the pivoted member for a limited pivotal movement against spring force. In such an arrangement it is particularly suitable if .a leaf spring which extends substantia l- 'ly in the longitudinal direction in a plane which is at right angles to the surface of the ski may be provided for connecting the member which carries the detent element to the pivoted member. The leaf spring provides in a particularly simple manner a resilient articulated joint. On the other hand, the member which carries the detent element may be pivoted by a pivot pin to the pivoted member and may bear on the pivoted member on both sides of the p-i'vot'pin with coil springs. In both cases it may be advantageous to provide an insert of easily resiliently deformable material between the I pivoted member and the member which carries the detent element on both sides of the articulated joint. By this material, particularly soft rubber, the articulated joint is protected from damage caused by mechanical and weather action. The resilient interlayer causes also the pivoted member with the associated element of the detent device to be closed from the outside so that .it gives the appearance of an integral part.

On the other hand, that member which carries the detent socket for the detent element secured to the pivoted member may be mounted for a limited pivotal movement against spring force on a member which is non-rotatably connected to the pivot pin of the pivoted member. In this case, leaf springs may be secured on both sides to the member provided with the detent socket and may embrace and resiliently bear on the member connected to the pivot pin of the pivoted member. Furthermore, the detent socket may be mounted for a limited displacement again-st spring force in the member which carries said socket, preferably in the baseplate secured to the ski. In such case it will be particularly suitable to provide friction-reducing means, such as rollers or.

balls, between the detent socket and the member carrying said socket, in areas in which the spring means are not disposed.

The invention will be explained more fully in the following description with reference to the drawing, in which some embodiments are diagrammatically shown by way of example.

In the drawing,

FIG. 1 is a side elevation showing a first embodiment of a safety from jaw according to the invention for ski bindings. In this view, the parts which are not visible in elevation are shown in dotted lines.

FIG. 2 is a top plan view showing the safety front jaw of FIG. *1.

FIGS. 3 and 4 :are corresponding views showing another embodiment.

FIGS. 5 and 6 are corresponding views showing a third embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a side elevation similar to FIG. 1 and shows a fourth embodiment of the safety front jaw according to the invention.

FIG. 8 is a top plan view showing the safety front jaw according to FIG. 7 with the front portion of the pivoted member omitted.

FIG. 9 is a front elevation showing the safety front jaw of FIG. 7. The parts which are not visible are again shown in dotted lines. 7

FIG. 10 shows a modification of a detail of FIG. 8.

In FIG. 1, the pivoted member 1 has a sole-retaining projection 2 which extends over the front edge of the sole of a skiing boot 3. The pivoted member 1 is rotatalbly mounted on 'a pivot pin 4, which is riveted into the baseplate 5. The latter is secured to the ski by screws threaded into the screw holes 6. The baseplate 5 has at its front end a detent socket 7, in which the detent ball 8 is locked in the normal position of the pivoted jaw 1. The detent ball 8, its loading spring 9 and the screw 10, which determines the spring pressure and with it the torque for releasing the safety jaw, are not disposed in the usual manner in a bore of the pivoted member 1 but in a separate member 11. The member 11 and the tion of the leaf spring 12, and the rubber material 14 suitably bonded to the end faces of the members 1 and 11 is compressed on one side of the leaf spring and extended on the other. As soon 'as the action of the lateral force is discontinued, the pivoted member 1 is returned to its central position by the leaf spring 12., As. is apparent from the drawing, the leaf spring 12 and the resilient material 14 are separated by the pivot pin 4 from the point at which the boot 3 is pressed against the safety jaw. The pressure exerted by the boot on the safety front jaw is thus taken up by the pivot pin 4 and does not act on the resilient articulated joint, formed by the leaf spring 12, and the resilient filling material 14.

When the foot is under a higher torsional stress, which exceeds the set resistance of the spring 9 so that the detent device is to be unlocked, the pivoted member 1 is again pivotally moved laterally, with a slight deflection of the leaf spring 12, until the resilient material 14 on the corresponding side has been compressed to the limit of its compressibility. The torsional force transmitted by the boot 3 on the safety front jaw will then act fully on the detent device. If this force is so strong that it should result in a release of the binding, it will cause in known manner the detent ball 8 to yield under the action of the rim of the detent socket 7 into the bore of the member 11 against the resistance of the spring 9 so that the engagement between the detent ball 8 and the detent socket 7 is eliminated, the member 11 is pivotally moved outwardly together With the pivoted member 1 in the direction X' or Y, and the pivoted member 1 fully releases the boot 3.

In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the pivoted member 1 is rigidly connected to the associated element of the detent device. This element consists again of the detent ball 8, the coil spring 9 and the adjusting screw 10. A member 15 is rigidly connected to the baseplate 5 and the pivot pin 4. This member 15 has the same overall width as the pivoted member 1. The member 15 is disposed substantially only adjacent to the midd e portion of the pivoted member 1 but has a bearing extension, which extends further forwardly approximately in the middle of the height of the safety front jaw. This extension has a vertical bore, through which a pin 17 ex- I tends, to which the member 18 provided with the detent pivoted member 1 are formed in their confronting sur- 1 direction of the ski, and the spring connects the two members 1 and 11 in such a manner that the space a is left between their confronting faces. This space is fil-led with an easily resiliently deformable material 14, such as soft rubber. 7

If the skiing boot 3 or the ski is under the action of slight lateral shock forces, the boot 3 can be pivotally moved on the ski to a small extent. In this case the pivoted member 1 will pivotally move laterally about the pivot pin 4 whereas the spring 9 retains the detent ball 8 in the detent socket 7. Such slight pivotal movements of the pivoted member 1 cause an elastic deformasocket 7 is pivotally connected. Resilient material, preferably soft rubber, is again disposed between the members 15 and 18. Leaf springs 19 are riveted on both sides to the member 18 provided with the detent socket 7 and extend rearwardly to embrace the member 15 and bear resiliently on its side faces.

Under the action of harmless, lateral shock forces,

the detent socket 7 and the member 18 follow the movement of the detent ball 8 in this embodiment so that the initial stress of one of the lateral leaf springs 19 is increased and, when the lateral force is discontinued,

the member 7 is returned to the normal position and,

transmits this movement by the detent ball 8 to the pivoted member 1. A higher torsional stress will unlock the detent device as soon as the limited range of pivotal movement of the member 18 has been exceeded.

The embodiment shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 differs from that of FIGS. 1 and 2 in that the leaf spring 12 between the members 1 and 11 is replaced by a pivot pin 20 similar to the pin 17 of the embodiment of FIGS. 3 and 4. In the middle part of its height, the member 11 has a rearward extension 21. The pivoted member 1 is formed with an opening for receiving this extension.

The two parts are pivotally connected by said shaft 20.

On both sides of this pivotal connection, the pivoted member 1 is formed with dead-ended holes, which accommodate coil springs 22, which with their ends protruding from the pivoted member 1 bear on the rear face of the member 11. The freedom of movement of the resulting resilient articulated joint is limited to the angle z because the front faces of the pivoted member 1 are wedge-shaped,

so that the pivoted member 1 will non-resiliently bear against the member 11 when the pivoted member has been pivotally moved through the angle 2, and a further pivotal movement of the pivoted member 1 will reliably unlock the detent device if the torsional force is sufiicient to eifect such a further pivotal movement.

FIGS. 7 to 9 show a modification of the embodiment of FIGS. 3 and 4. In this case only 'a flat detent plate 23 is pivotally connected by the pin 24 to the baseplate 5 and is formed with the ball socket 7. On both sides of the pivoted detent plate 23, the baseplate 5 is formed with dead-ended holes 25, which accommodate coil springs 26, which with their free ends protruding from the dead-ended holes 25 bear on the side faces of the pivotally mounted detent plate 23. As is shown in FIG. 9, balls or rollers 27 are disposed below the detent plate 23 to reduce the friction relative to the baseplate 5. The mode of operation of this embodiment is readily apparent from the description of the mode of operation of the embodiment of FIGS. 3 and 4.

FIG. shows a modification of the embodiment of FIGS. 7 to 9. In this embodiment, the detent plate 28 is not pivoted to the baseplate 5 but is mounted for a displacement transversely to the longitudinal center line of the ski.

What we claim is:

1. In a safety jaw for safety ski bindings including two jaw parts pivotally movable relative to each other and having disposed therebetween a detent device which is unlocked in response to a predetermined, preferably adjustable torque to release said jaw parts for pivotal movement, the improvement comprising at least one of the jaw parts being composed of two elements, one of which incorporates a portion of the detent device and a resilient articulated joint affording a limited freedom of movement coupling said elements, said articulated joint disposed outside the path for transmitting forces acting in the longitudinal direction of the ski.

2. The improvement according to claim 1 wherein one jaw part is pivotally movable about a pin mounted at right angles to the surface of the ski with said part being composed of said two elements, and the resiliency. of said articulated joint is afforded by a spring means.

3. The improvement according to claim 2 wherein the spring means is provided by a leaf spring which extends substantially in the longitudinal direction in a plane which is at right angles to the surface of the ski and which interconnects the elements.

4. The improvement according to claim 2 wherein the spring means is provided by coil springs.

5. The improvement according to claim 2 wherein the spring means is provided by easily resiliently deformable material carried between the two elements.

6. The improvement according to claim 1 wherein one jaw part is pivotally movable about a pin mounted at right angles to the surface of the ski, the other jaw part is composed of said two elements, one of said elements is non-rotatably connected to said pin and the other of said elements incorporates the socket portion of the de tent device and is mounted on said one element for a limited pivotal movement against spring means.

7. The improvement according to claim 6 wherein said spring means is provided by leaf springs secured on both sides to said other element and which embrace and resiliently bear on said one element.

8. The improvement according to claim 1 wherein said one element incorporates the socket portion of the detent device and is mounted for a limited displacement against spring means in the other element which is the baseplate secured to the ski.

9. The improvement according to claim 8 wherein friction-reducing means are provided between said two elements.

BENJAMIN HERSH, Primary Examiner. MILTON L. SMITH, Examiner, 

1. IN A SAFETY JAW FOR SAFETY SKI BINDINGS INCLUDING TWO JAW PARTS PIVOTALLY MOVABLE RELATIVE TO EACH OTHER AND HAVING DISPOSED THEREBETWEEN A DETENT DEVICE WHICH IS UNLOCKED IN RESPONSE TO A PREDETERMINED, PREFERABLY ADJUSTABLE TORQUE TO RELEASE SAID JAW PARTS FOR PIVOTAL MOVEMENT, THE IMPROVEMENT COMPRISING AT LEAST ONE OF THE JAW PARTS BEING COMPOSED OF TWO ELEMENT, ONE OF WHICH INCORPORATES A PORTION OF THE DETENT DEVICE AND A RESILIENT ARTICULATED JOINT AFFORDING A LIMITED FREEDOM OF MOVEMENT COUPLING SAID ELEMENTS SAID ARTICULATED JOINT DISPOSED OUTSIDE THE PATH FOR TRANSMITTING FORCES ACTING ING THE LONGITUDINAL DIRECTION OF THE SKI. 